This invention relates to ultrasonic cleaning racks in general, and more specifically, to a rack specifically adapted to support gun parts immersed in an ultrasonic cleaning bath.
Most firearms malfunction or misfire as a result of jammed parts that are dirty or otherwise imbedded with debris. A malfunctioning handgun can be life-threatening to a member of law enforcement, for example, if an officer must take down a criminal a split-second before being taken down himself or herself. To avoid such life-threatening mishaps, a firearm must be cleaned constantly and thoroughly so that it can be relied upon in emergency situations.
It is known to clean handguns using ultrasonic cleaning methods. Ultrasonic cleaning relies on rapid vibrations or waves transmitted through a solution that dislodge debris and dirt particles stuck to a gun surface. To have the greatest cleaning effectiveness, such waves should directly impinge upon the surface to be cleaned. Any barrier between the radiating or vibrating waves and the item to be cleaned will impede and diminish cleaning effectiveness.
In traditional ultrasonic cleaning baths, gun parts are thrown into a basket in which the gun parts contact both each other and the floor of the basket. Such contact is undesirable because ultrasonic cleaning involves very rapid vibrations, these vibrations in turn make both the objects to be cleaned and the basket vibrate, and any direct contact between vibrating bodies, such as a cleaning basket and the object to be cleaned causes unnecessary wear at the contact points. Also, anything between the radiating floor of the ultrasonic cleaning bath and the object to be cleaned acts as a barrier and reduces cleaning effectiveness. When ultrasonic waves impinge upon a barrier typically three things happen. Some of the energy they carry is absorbed by the material of that barrier, some of the energy is reflected from the barrier back towards the floor of the ultrasonic cleaner in the form of ultrasonic waves and some of the energy is transmitted through the barrier in the form of ultrasonic waves. In any case, a barrier does not allow the full amount of energy radiant from the floor of the ultrasonic cleaner to reach the object to be cleaned.
Additionally it is important that any dirt or debris that is dislodged from the object being cleaned fall away from the object so that it does not redeposit onto the object.
When the object to be cleaned is a firearm it is important that all the parts from one firearm are kept in an organized fashion before during and after the cleaning such that they are not mixed up with parts from any other firearms being cleaned at the same time. This is important since parts from different firearms may not fit well together and may cause the firearm to malfunction.
When cleaning firearms, it is critical, as noted above, that all parts are cleaned thoroughly and effectively. It is also critical, particularly with ultrasonic cleaning methods, that there are no unnecessary wear points created as a result of the contact between gun parts and a vibrating retaining surface. Thus, there is a need for a support structure for retaining gun parts in an ultrasonic cleaning apparatus that does not impede the cleaning effectiveness of the ultrasonic vibrations and that does not cause excessive wear between gun parts that contact each other. Such need is met by the gun rack of the present invention.
The gun rack of the present invention is specifically adapted for retaining gun parts in a manner that maximizes cleaning of such parts in an ultrasonic bath. When the gun rack of the invention is placed in an ultrasonic bath, unimpeded ultrasonic vibrations cause debris to separate from the gun parts and fall away from the gun to the bottom of the bath. Gun parts are placed on the rack of the invention in order to maximize their exposure to ultrasonic vibrations and to minimize their contact with other parts. The rack of the invention is also preferably coated in a material softer than the gun (i.e. plastic) such that the softer material will wear instead of the gun.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a rack for supporting gun parts in an ultrasonic cleaning bath.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a rack for maximizing the removal of dirt and debris from gun parts in an ultrasonic cleaning bath. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a rack which will prevent or minimize the re-deposition of dirt and debris onto the gun.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a rack that prevents unnecessary wear between gun parts supported on such rack.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a rack for supporting gun parts wherein at least some of said gun parts are adjustably supported on said rack.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a gun rack for ultrasonic cleaning that is easy to use, compact in design and results in the efficient positioning of gun parts that are cleaned in a relatively confined environment.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a gun rack for ultrasonic cleaning that organizes the parts from a single gun onto that that rack so as to minimize the possibility of mixing the parts from more than one gun together.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will become clear upon review of the following detailed description in conjunction with the appended drawings.
A rack for supporting gun parts in an ultrasonic cleaning environment comprises a plurality of supports that are specially configured and adapted to retain gun parts in positions that maximize the cleaning of such parts in a compact, ultrasonic cleaning environment. The rack supports are specifically adapted to maximize the removal of debris from gun parts, wherein certain supports are adjustable to accommodate a variety of gun makes and models. The rack is also constructed to prevent direct contact between gun parts, which might otherwise result in unnecessary wearing at such contact locations. To prevent the dampening of ultrasonic waves and a reduction in cleaning effectiveness, the rack is specifically adapted to be suspended off the radiating surface in an ultrasonic cleaning bath, and the gun parts are separately supported at various locations along the rack to receive the maximum cleaning impact from the ultrasonic cleaning waves.